Breaking Brad
by TabAngryToster
Summary: Evalina Grey and Ray Person are like two peas in a pod, they grew up together in the sticks and now they are living in Southern California. She grew up following his footsteps and when she wasn't allowed in the Marines, she took things into her own hands and signed up for the Navy. Things don't go so well for Ray and Brad after their last tour overseas, this story is about their li
1. Chapter 1

Evalina Grey was sitting on her leather couch in her Southern California apartment. It was a small hole in the wall but over the months that she had been living there, she really fixed up the place. It was finally a home and place that she loved dearly. She was getting rather impatient as she waited for Corporal Ray Person to arrive. Waiting for two hours already, Person had supposedly flown in from his most recent tour of duty almost three hours ago. They had planned for him to come straight home so they could start his "Welcome Home" party that he notoriously had every time he made it back to the states.

Before he had left seven months ago, Person had begged his long time best friend to move out to Southern California with him. He didn't have to do much convincing, she already knew that the southern part of California was stunningly beautiful and she knew if she stayed behind one more time in the hick ass town they called home she would most likely lose her sanity. I mean come on, think of a town full of white trash worse than Ray Person? It's unfathomable.

While Ray went off to play in the Marines, Evalina joined the Navy since at the time women were not allowed in the Marines. Evalina was a very intelligent and strong woman, she could do anything that she set her mind to. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was supposed to be doing this or that in her life. Following along with what everyone else was doing: getting married and having kids, white picket fence and all. In the back of her mind she knew that she would never fit into that mold. She spent her years on and off ships, specializing in computers but switched to a career in the aviation field once she realized it was more of her thing. It was a great time in her life, learning so much and seeing so many places but as a woman she knew she could only make it so far. They all treated her differently. She had only gone on one short mission that landed her quite the reputation, but it was a terrible mission gone wrong and she still hadn't gotten over it completely. Only being home for a few months before Ray came home, she spent her time off just relaxing in her home town with her family. She contemplated finding a job there close to home, but she had several offers from several different bases. When Ray had come home on leave, he found out that his girlfriend had cheated on him so he went straight to Evalina's to tell her they were moving.

Evalina shook her head at the memory of them driving cross country with Ray at the wheel. Lord knows how they didn't die on that road trip from hell. She was sure they had hit every single pothole in existence and no doubt it had been on purpose to test out his new wheels. Since he was due to ship out only weeks after they moved out, Evalina told him it wasn't necessary for them to find two apartments. Ray would hardly be there if he continued on with his plan of going on as many tours as he could. So all of his shit had sat in the second bedroom of the apartment untouched, just waiting for him to come back.

Hearing the rumble of what was most likely Ray's truck as well as another engine, Evalina jumped up off the couch and shook out her long dark cherry brown hair. She had been nervously twirling it around her index finger as she waited. Not normally a nervous person, Evalina couldn't shake the jitters. It was just Ray, she had known him for most of her life. Ever since moving out here to California she had for the most part been on her own. She took a job as a flight instructor as soon as she got here at Coronado, but she didn't ever hang out with any of the people she worked with. Most of them were men and all of the women were either in other departments or other staff, none that were actual NFO's that she could relate to. She always figured that being friends with people you worked with would get ugly anyways. It was hard for her to make friends outside of work since she spent most of her time off working around the apartment. She was hoping things would change a little when Ray came home.

Everyone knew that Ray Person had a very outgoing, boisterous personality. He had tons of people around him no matter where he went. Moving out here hadn't been any different, several of the guys he toured with lived out here. All of them were friends and hung out most of the time, it blew her mind that they could all spend months together and still want to hang out when they got home. But then again, once they got home it was always hard for all of them to turn off their "marine" selves. Ray usually didn't talk about it and she never pried, neither of them poked too much into each other's lives in and out of service. Well except when Ray would scare away every man that tried to walk into her life.

Walking barefoot through the hallway to the front door, Evalina peered out of the peephole to make sure it was Ray that was outside. There were several other apartments in the area, the parking lot was kind of already full but she spotted him. He was pulling his bags out of his truck and talking to Colbert who was stepping off of his bike. Evalina rolled her eyes. She hadn't realized Brad would be coming with Ray. She should have known better. After the last few tours they went on, they were basically inseparable. She had met Brad a few times, but her nervousness went up a notch while she watched Ray toss him his bags. There wasn't much between Evalina and Brad, in fact he usually seemed rather cold to her. But then again he was called Iceman for a reason, she thought to herself with a smile.

"What the hell?" She said to herself as she backed away from the door and hurried back to the kitchen, wanting so badly to shake her nerves.

Grabbing three beers from the refrigerator, she opened one for herself and made her way back to the living room. Ray was just unlocking the door as she walked over to the couch. She waited a few moments before yelling out at him.

"Welcome home, fucker!" She nearly screamed as she held up both her arms up in the air.

"Evalina!" Ray yelled, throwing his bags down onto the floor and rushing over to her. Wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up, he swung her around several times. Evalina wrapped her legs around Ray's waist as he tipped his head back, motioning for her to pour the open beer in his open mouth.

Brad was leaning against the wall of the hallway, shaking his head and watching the two interact. "There is something seriously wrong with the both of you."

Evalina just laughed, but of course Ray choked and spit the beer everywhere. Evalina jumped off of him as he struggled to breathe. Evalina handed one of the unopened beers to Brad before moving over to plop down on the couch. Brad and Evalina continued to laugh as Ray composed himself.

"Fuck the both of you, I coulda died. Wouldn't that be a bitch, the second I walk into my house I choke and die." Ray said as he grabbed the other unopened beer from Evalina.

"Maybe if your mother taught you how to swallow..." Evalina smirked as she took a swig of beer.

Both men stared at her before Brad cracked a smile. Evalina couldn't help but smile brightly at the two as Ray just scowled at her. It was a rare thing one upping Ray and when it happened she loved to gloat about it.

"I've been gone for seven months and you're still a bitch, big surprise there." Ray rolled his eyes as he sat down onto the couch next to Evalina.

Brad finally came into the living room, taking a swig of his beer and sitting down onto one of the lazy boys. They both looked tired as shit and probably hadn't slept in God knows how long. Evalina looked over the two wary men, worried that their night might not go so well but as soon as Ray chugged his beer and shot into the kitchen for another, she knew the night would probably go down in the history books.

Ray came walking back into the living room, Evalina and Brad had been sitting in somewhat awkward silence as they sipped their beers. Brad seemed overly concentrated on the golden liquid in the bottle and she was happy that his focus wasn't on her. She inwardly cringed when she felt his gaze land on her.

"Where the fuck is everyone?" Ray asked as he ripped off his beer soaked shirt. He tossed it into the corner of the room after wiping his face with it. Evalina swore if she personally didn't know his parents that he could have been raised by wild animals.

Evalina shook her head and got up off the couch to pick up his shirt and bag. "Call whoever you want, I wasn't going to have any of those idiots here before you came. You know I can't handle them by myself. You guys want food?"

Both men groaned loudly and were basically drooling at the thought of home cooked food.

"I take that as a yes." She laughed as she carried Ray's discarded shirt and bag back to his bedroom.

She threw it in his room before heading to the kitchen to start cooking supper for them. They all needed to eat something before the alcohol started flowing and the idiots started showing up. She loved hanging out with all the guys, but it wasn't really as fun as it sounded. They would get rowdy and most likely tear up the place and then she would be left to clean it all up. She was one really just of the guys when it came down to it and she was really not in the mood to deal with it tonight. Evalina shook her head as he pulled some steaks from the fridge and threw them on the stove.

Ray had slumped down onto the couch again with his second beer in hand, his dirty boots getting the couch all dirty but he didn't have a care in the world. Brad just shook his head at his friends' actions.

"Jesus Christ it feels good to be back." Ray sighed as he sunk further down into the couch.

"It's bitter sweet." Brad commented and Ray just rolled his eyes at him.

"Think you're ready for tonight?" Ray asked hoping that the both of them would have a good night, they both needed it after the last several stressful months.

"Never experienced one of your infamous parties, I have to admit I'm a little apprehensive."

"Oh shit, I've got the Iceman pissing his panties! Wait til all the homies hear about this!" Ray shouted as Brad laughed before finishing his beer.

"Shut the fuck up Ray."

"Sure, thats how you should treat your best pal Ray Ray. The guy who saved your ass numerous times, always had your six and who is going to let you enjoy ALL of the benefits of the party."

Brad chuckled as a sly grin spread across his face. "All of the benefits, huh?"

"Shit yeah man, this isn't going to be some sausage fest. I gotta get to calling people!"

Ray took his beer along with to make his calls as Brad decided to wander back to the kitchen after a few restless minutes of listening to Ray's ridiculous conversations and invites. He could hear Evalina clanking around some pans and when he turned the corner, she was standing next to the stove with a fork in her hand as she flipped a steak over. Her hair was now up in a messy bun, Brad realized she must have gotten a little warm when she started cooking. It was a little hot in the apartment, being that it was a hot July day out to begin with. With her back still to him, he took in her long lean legs in dark low rise jeans with an old raggedy t-shirt covering her top half. It was small on her and he didn't fail to notice how it hugged her curves perfectly when they had walked in and she basically threw herself at Ray. He also didn't fail to notice how her shirt had ridden up to expose a few inches of her flawless abdomen. How could anyone blame him, all they had seen for seven months was sand, humvees, dicks and hajis. Brad wasn't sure how Ray and Evalina hadn't ever been together the way they acted towards each other. It was hard for a guy and a girl to be friends that close and not go any further.

Evalina turned slightly to toss something in the trash, Brad's lean form leaning against the doorway caught her attention. "Oh hey, Brad. Shouldn't be too much longer, did you need another beer?"

Brad glanced down to his empty beer, almost flustered that she had caught him off guard. "No, thanks though. I just came to see if you needed any help, Ray is on his phone and I didn't feel like sitting anymore, been sitting on a plane for days it feels like."

She smiled softly over her shoulder, but quickly went back to the stove. "The steaks are almost done and the other stuff I'm just reheating, but thanks for offering. Offers to help don't come that often around here."

He smirked, thinking of Ray sitting around as Evalina basically took care of him like a little kid. Ray was pretty much a toddler when it came down to it.

"No problem, mind if I take a shower? Ray said you wouldn't care, I feel disgusting but didn't want to intrude since you guys share a bathroom. Water isn't the same over there and I'm dying to actually feel clean."

She turned around, wiping her hands on her hips. "Sure, not a big deal. You're not an animal like Ray, I'm sure you know how to not destroy the bathroom."

"Thanks Evie."

Evalina smiled and nodded as he turned to leave the room. He tossed the empty beer bottle in the trash and went to shower. She turned her concentration back to the stove, still smiling to herself about the previous moment. No one usually called her Evie, but for some strange reason she liked it coming out of Brad's mouth. Never in her wildest dreams would she have envisioned Brad Colbert coming into her kitchen and offering to help cook. For the moment she felt appreciated and she scurried about the kitchen trying to finish their meal before people started showing up.

The two men inhaled their meals, of course Ray ended up with half of it all over his face and lap. Evalina and Brad couldn't help but laugh at the idiot that they called their friend. He was lovable to say the least. Soon after Evalina cleaned up the dishes, people started showing up. She was still in the kitchen cleaning up and every so often, more and more people would bring alcohol in and grab themselves something to drink. She greeted them all but realized she didn't know most of them. They all were Marines so far and if she was going to make it through the night, she knew she needed tequila. Making a beeline for her favorite stash, she grabbed it up and went on a search for Ray.

She found him in a group of guys, not thinking twice she pulled him right out of the group and pushed the tequila in his face.

"Come on, boy. Time for our shots." She taunted, plucking the lid from the bottle.

"Damn bro, you really know how to pick your women." Lilley joked as he slapped Ray across the back.

"Oh shut the fuck up, I don't even want to hear that shit." Evalina spit out, not wanting to take crap from any of them. She knew she had to be tough with them or they would never stop bothering her. They hadn't interacted with women in months and she knew they were just stir crazy. It was the main reason she had pulled on a baggier t-shirt before everyone showed up, they didn't need any more reason to fuck with her. She was busty to say the least and it was something she struggled to hide constantly throughout her life.

"And she's got the perfect mouth for you, Ray." Espera added as he laughed, but shot her a somewhat apologetic look. Evalina didn't have anything against Espera, they got along pretty well.

Evalina just flipped him off as she lifted the bottle from Ray's hands to her mouth, taking a big swig. Brad had been watching the whole scene as he stood away from the group, never taking his eyes off of Evalina. Everything about her screamed confidence and willpower that he usually didn't see in women today. All the other woman Ray invited were easy, he could see that right away. She never once looked his way and for some reason it got under his skin. This night was about relaxing and having a good time, he needed to drink more now so he could stop thinking about stupid shit. The only thing he should be thinking about is whose bed he was going to end up in tonight and it was most likely the blonde that had been eye fucking him since she walked in the door.

A half empty bottle of tequila sat out on the balcony's ledge, accompanied by Ray and Evalina. The party was at full blast, the apartment was jammed to capacity. Evalina kept worrying that the neighbors were probably going to call the cops, but the alcohol swirling about in her system was slowly drowning that fear away. They both sat on the ledge, looking in at all the people inside the living room. Some girls were dancing, most couples were making out and all over each other, there was even a group of guys in the kitchen playing poker.

Ray took a long drag of his cigarette, blowing out the smoke slowly and watched it evaporate into the air. Evalina watched him carefully, wondering what kind of drunken mood he was going to end up in tonight. Some days she just never knew how he would act. He seemed genuinely happy about being here, in this moment. She knew it was most likely just happiness to be home and out of Iraq. He took another drag before flicking it over the balcony and hopped down off of the ledge.

Evalina took another drag of the tequila before handing it over to him, he gladly accepted it with a smile and took several gulps. She nearly gagged at the sight of him and he just shook the after affects off before popping the lid back on the bottle.

"It's really good to see you home, Ray."

"You know, for once it's good to be home. You've really made this place into a home, way better than the trailer park we were living in back in Missouri." He smiled brightly and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Glad to hear that, you ass. I had this place spotless and you are most definitely in charge of cleaning up after all of your barnyard friends."

Ray chuckled. "Yes, Mom I promise I'll clean up tomorrow. Or maybe next week. Possibly never."

She punched him on the shoulder, nearly losing her balance but he grabbed her just in case. They both laughed it off and he stood in between her dangling legs, turning away from her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her chin on her arm.

"You sure you're okay with Brad staying here until he gets furniture in his place?"

Sighing deeply, she nodded her head. "Yeah its fine, when's he supposed to be getting shit?"

He turned his head slightly and Evalina rested her head against his. "Shits supposed to be delivered this weekend, maybe tomorrow? I'm not sure, I'll have to ask him."

"Why does he not have any furniture anyway?" Evalina asked, her eyes finding Brad sitting on the couch.

"He didn't plan on staying home that long, but after the fuckery that was Iraq this time around, I think the both of us will be staying out of that shit for a while. He had all of his shit in storage since it would have been pointless to rent a place. Somehow that fucker found a house like a week ago, right before we were shipped back."

Evalina was pretty shocked, her eyes never left Brad's profile. She studied it for a second, stunned that he was giving up his career that he seemed so set on. He was a strong person, but she knew firsthand something else lingered behind those icy blue eyes of his.

They heard the sliding glass door open and both were surprised to see none other than Nate Fick walk through it. Ray of course stood a little straighter, but Evalina just laughed and pushed him out of the way as she hopped off the ledge to throw her arms around Fick.

"Nate!" She said happily, really thrilled to see him.

Evalina and Nate had known each other a little bit longer than she had known Brad. She had seen Nate Fick plenty of times while she was at work at Coronado, he spent most of his time home there. They made fast friends, he was a great guy and she loved that he never treated her like the rest of guys. He treated her like a person, no lower or higher than himself. They both respected each other and each other's positions.

"Hey Evalina, just the person I was looking for. This place is packed." Nate said after pulling away from her embrace.

Ray looked between the two after greeting Nate, he seemed skeptical of their friendship or whatever it was. He never asked Evalina about their friendship but she also never told him what was really between them. Maybe it was nothing at all, but Ray just felt it was sketchy. Nate hadn't went on this last tour with them, he had stayed on base and found a job so he was curious as to how well his best friend and the Lt. knew each other. He told Nate he should join in the festivities before heading back inside.

Nate was wearing a tan USMC t-shirt and dark jeans with some dark boots on. He was looking great as always, especially with that trademark smile of his whenever he was around Evalina. She hopped back up onto the ledge, her long wavy hair blowing around in the slight breeze.

"It's good to see you." Evalina spoke softly as he leaned against the ledge beside her.

"Likewise." Nate couldn't help but smile at her, he knew his smile was contagious and all he wanted to see was her smile.

Unbeknownst to the both of them on the balcony, Brad had been sitting on the couch in the living room keeping a watchful eye trained on them after he saw Ray come back in. A pang of jealously shot through him seeing the way that Evalina smiled at Fick. Nathaniel Fick had been his Lt., he respected the man with every ounce of integrity in him. This was the first time seeing them interact and he was intrigued to say the least, when the fuck had they met? The blonde under his arm tugged at his shirt, obviously trying to get his attention so he took a drink of his beer and focused back on her.

The hours slipped by, Nate and Evalina kept talking out on the balcony for a little while, several people joining them off and on, but soon a drunken and almost naked Ray interrupted everything. She had seen Brad watching over Ray for a little while but she hadn't seen Brad for quite some time. The rest of the guys were just laughing their asses off at the show that was Ray Person. He was making a fool of himself in the living room and Evalina of course tried to intervene and help her friend out. He was currently up on the coffee table with just a towel covering his junk. Nate laughed at the scene but she grimaced as she went inside. The party had gotten a little out of hand, she thought Ray would have kept a better handle on things but boy she was wrong. As she struggled to get Ray's drunken ass back to his room, they had to walk over the myriad of plastic cups and trash all over the place. Not too many people were still left but several people were passed out. Nate helped get Ray into his bed and Evalina thanked him profusely as she walked him to the front door. She had already pushed all the other guys out, not too worried about them getting their drunken ass home because at the moment she was just pretty irked at the situation. This was always her role, she always ended up taking care of everyone and dealing with the cleanup. The aftermath was a nightmare, even during a party she couldn't let her guard down and have a good time.

"Don't be a stranger." She smiled as she held onto the edge of the door.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help cleaning up or anything?" Nate asked, hoping she would let him stay and help.

Evalina followed his line of sight over her shoulder, seeing a very drunk blonde straddling Brad's lap damn near sucking his face off. She laughed and shook her head, a little disgusted at the sight in behind her.

"I just have some trash to take out, it's no big deal." She smiled sweetly and it was his turn to laugh.

"I'll see you later, Evalina. Hopefully you have a good day at work tomorrow." He waved over his shoulder as he headed down the stairs.

Evalina watched him make it down the stairs before turning around on her heels. She sighed deeply as she started collecting the ten thousand beer bottles around the room. Opening a trash bag, she couldn't help shifting her eyes over every once in a while to see what was causing the noises on the couch. She should have been embarrassed, they were basically fucking on the couch but the anger far surpassed any embarrassment. How can someone have such little self-respect. There was another couple on the lazy boy, but they were already passed out. The blonde had kept pulling at her own shirt and Brad's, but apparently he was sober enough to realize and was trying to keep their clothes on even though it was futile. Evalina didn't know how the blonde was still conscious, the last time she had seen her she was the biggest drunken mess there tonight. Well, besides Ray.

As Evalina moved to the coffee table, she stood on the other side of it pulling any trash off it and tossing it in the bag.

"Do you need any help Evie?" Brad's slightly slurred words almost made her drop the bottle in her hands.

She avoided any eye contact with the either of them and just shook her head. "No Brad, its fine. I just want to clean up a little so I don't have to come home to all of this shit tomorrow."

Brad shifted his upper body forward, the blonde vocalizing her annoyance but his hands came to her upper arms, holding her still. "Are you sure?"

"Baby, come on that bitch said she's got it. Let her get it, she's gotta be of some use around here." The blonde giggled, rolling her hips against him, hoping they would go back to what they were previously doing.

Brad's eyes shot to Evalina's face, searching for her eyes but she calmly stood up and threw the bottle she had been holding into the trash bag. Picking the bag up, she made her way over to the couch and turned the trash bag on its end, dumping the contents onto the blonde and subsequently onto Brad as well. Of course the blonde wigged out but Evalina took her time walking to her bedroom and away from the ridiculous stupid bitch. It took every ounce of strength in her not to grab her backpack and high tail it the hell out of there. She was literally shaking with anger because of that skank bag. Taking ten deep breaths, she willed the anger from her pores as she stepped outside onto her balcony.

Evalina could hear the blonde yelling at Brad through the thin wall between the rooms, she smiled to herself and almost laughed as she heard the front door slam shut. Good riddance she thought to herself as she rested her forearms against the wooden railing. The breeze felt wonderful on her flushed skin as her hair fluttered about in the wind. Getting a little annoyed with it, she flipped it over her shoulder and away from her face just in time to feel two hands covering her hips. She lightly gasped out into the night air as she was pulled roughly back into the embrace.

She couldn't help but release a sigh as she closed her eyes. "It's about fucking time, Sgt."


	2. Flashback

Evalina was tinkering away at a motherboard of a jet the next day, she had no training to do so she was fully concentrated on the task at hand. It was blistering outside and inside the hangar seemed to be twice as hot, so the top half of her jumpsuit was currently hanging around her hips. She was sweating her balls off all cramped up in the cockpit of the jet. She was sure her white t-shirt was drenched with sweat, but there wasn't much she could do about it. There were several other crew members out in the hangar, all of them disgusting men talking about even more disgusting things. This was why she was shoved into the floorboard of the cockpit, slaving away at getting the bug fixed.

She blew out a steady breath as she tuned the voices out. Wiping her hands off on her stomach, she went back to sorting out the wires. Seconds away from fixing the problem, someone knocked loudly on the side of the jet and she cursed out loud as the pliers she had been using fell to the floor.

"Yeah?" Evalina not so nicely shouted.

"Jay-Gee Grey?" A stiff voice came from outside the jet.

Rolling her eyes, she fixed the wires she was holding as quickly as she could. No matter who the officer was outside the jet, she was not losing track of what she was doing. The sailors in the hangar knew that she was not to be bothered when she was working on something this important, so she was curious to see who the hell it was. This jet was heading out to its ship this next week, there wasn't much time to spare. Prying herself off the floor, she huffed as she stood. Shoving the metal door out of her way, she stuck her head out of the cockpit.

Evalina immediately recognized the guy as being one of the engine inspectors, but she didn't expect him to be asking for her. Stepping up and out of the jet, she hopped down on to the ground to see Nate standing near the rear of the jet. She smiled at Nate's uniformed self as she nodded the AMDO off so he could get back to work. Her eyes wandered to the rest of the sailors around, working hard at getting this jet mission ready. They were really great men to work with when they weren't being pigs, but she smiled even bigger when she thought about the type of men that Fick had to deal with on a day to day basis. She was lucky to say the least.

She was really glad to see Fick, he was a welcomed distraction. He was all decked out in his fatigues and it had her wondering what he was up to today. Instead of greeting him at the back of the jet, she walked past him and headed towards the offices. He silently followed behind her. Coronado was a monster of a base, but luckily for her the jet they were currently working on wasn't too far from her office. Two pairs of booted feet crossed over the doorway to her office as Nate shut the door behind them.

"How's it going, Lieutenant Grey?" Fick asked with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh don't call me that Fick, you know how much I hate it." She grimaced as she slumped into her chair and threw her feet up on her desk.

"You just got promoted to Division Officer and you hate it. Is that why we came in here, so the men out there don't ream your ass for acting like a baby?"r32;

Her jaw dropped and she had the urge to throw her naval ship paper weight right at his self-righteous head. He chuckled and put his hands up in surrender.

"You know why I don't like it."

The smirk never left his face as he wiped his hat off of his head and took the seat across from her desk. "And you know why you got it, you're like the Rain Man at that shit."

"Are you calling me an Idiot Savant?!"

"I said nothing of the sort." He smiled that innocently cheeky smile of his.

She hated it and stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest. That smile could probably win wars, she thought to herself. Did he come here just to pick on her? Scowling across her desk, she shook her head at him.

"Why do they have you working mechanics on the jet? Shouldn't you be working the navigation systems not building it?"

"What can I say? I'm a jack of all trades around here. The other idiot working on the displays fucked nearly everything up, so I booted him out of the way and took care of it myself."

She actually showed him a genuine smile, there was a huge amount pride behind that smile. It was extremely rare to find another female NFO of her status and she was proud of herself. Evalina also knew that Fick respected her and pretty much had her up on a pedestal. Sometimes she felt like he followed her around like a little puppy, it was cute for a while but she wondered if he was really interested in her or not. He knew his unannounced visits always lifted her spirits, she constantly had trouble with other sailors around her. They didn't always have respect for their female officer. Maybe to her face they were respectful, but she knew most of what was said behind her back. It was the main reason she was uncomfortable with her newest promotion.

"I would have gladly watched you kick a guy out of the hangar." Nate smiled.

"I'm sure I'll hear about it sooner or later from the Captain. Probably sooner rather than later since it's the Captain's douchebag brother in law."

"Oh shit, would that be Darren Parker?"

"The one and only, but like I give a fuck. That guy is a legitimate idiot!"

"He's the one I have to deal with some of the time on the weekends for security, he doesn't know his head from his ass."

Evalina chuckled. "He probably wipes his face after he takes a shit."

That had them both laughing up a storm. Both Nate and Evalina were clutching their stomachs as their giggle fit continued. She was thoroughly glad that Nate decided to stop in today, it was just the mood changer she needed. He was such a good guy, it nearly had her heart melting.

"So I take it you don't have any training to do?" Nate finally asked, slipping his cap back on.

Evalina bit her pouty bottom lip, which he couldn't help stare at. "Nope, thank God after last night I don't think I could handle it today."

"Everything go alright after I left?" He asked, leaning forward to rest on her desk.

Her whole body flushed as her thoughts went to last night. She got so flustered she let her feet fall from her desk as she pulled at the collar of her t-shirt. How could one simple question make her whole body breakout in a cold sweat?

"Yeah, everything was fine." Evalina's voice was strained, but Nate studied her closely.

Visions of her hands fisted tightly into the material of his shirt while a strong hand pulled at her hair, persuading her neck to arch so that his mouth trailed hot kisses all over it blurred through Evalina's mind. There was nothing quite like hard, fast sex out on the balcony. Clothes were halfway off, half hazardly pulled this way and that. There wasn't a care in the world, they both needed it. Hardly any foreplay at all, they were both ready the instant his hands clamped over her hips.

Nate cleared his throat and it jarred Evalina back to the moment. Where the hell was she? She couldn't quite focus and there was a very good reason why. Last night had been one of the hottest experiences of her life and now here Nate was sitting here asking her about God knows what.

"Sorry." She mumbled and stood from her chair.

He followed suit, standing from his chair and following her footsteps to the door. "I know you're probably tired of people because of the party last night, but if you want to hang out later just let me know. I don't have anything going on."

Her grayish blue eyes met his and she smiled along with him. "I'll text you later Nate."

He nodded curtly and opened the door to let himself out. Her head tilted slightly as she watched him walk away, she couldn't resist a man in uniform. She giggled to herself as she shut her door. Guys in jeans were one thing, attractive men in fatigues just did something to her reproductive organs. Funny how she was surrounded by men in uniform every day, but they didn't do much for her. They were mostly pretentious pigs. Nate Fick? He was a great guy and sure new how to wear his uniform well. Ray Person? He always looked like a little kid playing dress up in his. She laughed even harder at the thought. He was the scrawniest guy she knew, but still managed to have some tone to those itsy bitsy muscles of his.

Evalina walked back across her office to plop down at her desk once again. A smile still on her lips as she thought about how often Nate was showing up these days. He came by at least once or twice a week just to talk to her. He started showing up more and more when Brad and Ray had left for duty. She really appreciated him because he treated her differently than everyone else. She knew deep down that she still needed to keep her guard up. It didn't matter how nice the guy seemed from the surface, he could be a complete asshole deep down. He was just another marine and she definitely knew how they all operated. They were all the same when it came down to it.

She smiled as memories came flooding back from this morning. As she pried herself out of her bed he had basically been draped over her entire body, encasing her under his muscular frame. It had been the best night's sleep in a very long time. She tried her best not to wake him as she crawled out of the bed, but she only made it a foot away before his long arm outstretched and wrapped around her bare waist.

"Hey, no! I've got to get ready for work." Evalina whispered.

He mumbled something incoherent as he pulled her underneath him on the bed once more, her protests turned to moans as his mouth worked magic on her neck. She could feel him extremely hard and ready, pressing against her sore and overly used nether regions. When he rolled his hips against hers, she winced and it jarred him from groggy groping.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he pulled back to look at her, his voice was rough but she loved it when he sounded like that.

"You got a little rough last night. It's been a long time since I've been with anyone and I am not used to going that many times in one night."

She could tell he was trying not to smile at her last comment, but his brows furrowed after a moment when the realization hit him that it was mostly his fault. He couldn't help himself last night, she drove him absolutely crazy and it had so very long since he'd been inside her. Cursing himself mentally at his abrasiveness, he started trailing kisses down her neck and chest. He quickly ventured down to her belly button after a couple of nibbles to her perky nipples and made it down to her set of soft dark curls.

"I'm sorry, Evie." He whispered against her skin.

Her eyes had been clenched shut as his lips trailed down her skin. He was causing her skin to break out in goosebumps the lower his kisses went. She wanted to tell him no, that she didn't have time for this but she couldn't bring herself to do so. It was a complete shock to her that he was being so gentle, she was definitely not used to this side of him. Curiosity got the best of her as her eyes opened back up and looked down at him. His eyes were watching her intently as his mouth descended on her swollen flesh. Her breathless gasp filled the space of the room as he suckled on her clit. His tongue was moving with even strokes against it, almost caressing it in apology. Evalina's legs fell open as he settled further between them, both of his hands holding her pelvis in place as she wiggled in pleasure.

His tongue became more persistent and he drew both hands from her hips to the inside of her thighs. The fingers on his left hand replaced his mouth as he descended down to her opening. He was very mindful of her overly used flesh and gently let his tongue slide into her. His eyes drifted closed as her moans filled the silence, he absolutely loved hearing those noises come from her lips. It drove him to shove his face closer and penetrate her as deeply as he could with his tongue. He wanted her to come all over his face and lick up all that she had to offer. Evalina tasted like honey and she got so wet for him. His lips turned upward into a grin as he pulled his tongue from her tightness. She whimpered, begging for him to continue and he did just that. Evalina came so hard that she had to scream into her pillowcase as he drove her careening over the edge with his mouth.

Evalina gripped the collar of her t shirt as she came back to the moment. She silently cursed for letting her mind drift and work herself up. Damn that man. Either he would be the death of her or she would actually break into that hard exterior shell of his and completely turn his world upside down. She couldn't think about the reality of the situation, it made her head hurt.

After a little break sitting in her office, mainly to cool down from the stray thoughts of last night, the rest of Evalina's day at the base went pretty quickly. The jet would be finished Monday afternoon, possibly by morning if everything went smoothly. She actually drove out of the base's parking lot with a smile on her face which came as a rare occurrence. The smile didn't leave her face the whole drive home. She couldn't quite pinpoint what had her so happy. Of course she was ecstatic that her roommate and best friend was safely home. What had her smiling more was the fact that she got to see Nate once again today. The man went out of his way just to come talk for a few minutes of his busy. When her mind drifted to last night, she almost felt guilty but the passion exchanged between her and...

She bit her lip as she pulled into the apartments' parking lot. Ray's truck was parked in the exact same spot it had been the previous night. His hungover ass hadn't left all day. Evalina shook her head as she grabbed her duffel bag out of the passenger seat of her car and headed towards the stairs. As soon as her keys were turned in the lock and the door was pushed open, she saw Ray's form halfway laying on the couch. His legs were thrown up on the coffee table with his arm covering his face. To her surprise the whole place smelled clean and all the trash had seemingly been thrown away. She blinked a couple times to make sure she was in their apartment.

"Are you alive over there?" She asked as she tossed her bag behind the couch.

Ray mumbled something, so she took it as sign that he was still breathing. Evalina stepped over his legs and took the open seat on the couch. She studied his face once he pulled his arm away. His eyes were blood shot, his face had more stubble that made him look even more rough than usual, and his hair was going every which way. Evalina stifled a laugh by covering her mouth with her fist and he just shot her a death glare.

"Don't even start." He croaked.

"Feeling a little old for your ridiculous parties?"

"Fuck no! You think one little hangover is going to stop me from having the parties to end all parties!"

He grimaced at the volume of his own voice, it must have reverberated throughout his head because he gripped it tightly. Evalina rubbed his knee as she leaned over to grab the bottle of water off of the coffee table. She twisted off the cap and handed to him. Ray damn near downed the whole thing in a few seconds. Taking the empty bottle, she made her way through the little dining room and over to the kitchen.

"Have you taken anything?" She asked, assuming he hadn't since the bottle of water hadn't even been touched.

"Shit no, this is as far as I made it. Brad was trying to make me clean and shit, but there was just no fucking way."

"Oh so you're not responsible for it being clean in here?" She asked as she tossed the empty bottle into the trash.

"I think it should count that I fucking tried!"

Evalina chuckled and shook her head at Ray, he was such a fuck but she couldn't help but love him. Her eyes traveled over all of the surfaces in the kitchen and she realized it had all been cleaned too. Brad had definitely earned some brownie points in her book. What had gotten him so motivated to clean their apartment was beyond her, but she was grateful. Opening up the fridge, she pulled out some stuff to cook for supper. Once she got it started, she made sure Ray had some pain meds in his system before heading to her room to change. As soon as she stepped foot in her room she smiled, it had been left just as messy as it was last night. Brad apparently hadn't gone there but she knew that he was fully aware she would have reamed his ass had he touched a single thing in there. It wasn't messy messy, Evalina just had a horrible time organizing things in her room. The rest of the apartment was immaculate, but her room just always had that lived in look. At least that's always what she told herself.

She came walking back out into the living room wearing her favorite pair of Capri yoga pants and her work out tank. Usually after her and Ray had supper, she'd head out for a run. She was surprised as hell to see Ray standing at the stove, flipping over the chicken in the skillet.

"Holy shit, he's actually alive!"

"Yeah yeah, I think the smell of food helped. Plus I didn't want this shit to burn while you were prettying yourself up."

She smacked him across his back as she walked over to the refrigerator. Pulling the pitcher of tea out, she poured both of them a glass and sat at the table patiently waiting for Ray to finish up cooking. They both ate in comfortable silence, she was so glad to see her best friend home. He seemed to be pretty happy as well, so far at least.

"So Brad asked me to help him move some shit tonight. Apparently they delivered all his furniture and shit today, so he needs some help." Ray tossed the last bite of chicken into his mouth and openly chewed it as he spoke.

Squinting at him, she rolled her eyes as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Did your mother really raise you alongside animals?"

"Shut the fuck up alright. Are you going to help or what?"

"Of course I'll help. He cleaned our apartment for you today, I'm sure he could use a couple set of extra hands." She nodded slowly as she responded, but her stomach filled with nervous butterflies and she could have punched herself in the head for feeling like a stupid little girl.

"Good, we are supposed to head over there as soon as we can. I already told the fucker you'd be helping since you are off this weekend."

Evalina rolled her eyes and fought the urge to throw some of her chicken at his face. "Thanks for volunteering me ass hat, I really appreciate it."

"Hey! Like you said, he cleaned in here for us so it's only fair. Plus that fuck doesn't have any other friends."

She couldn't help but laugh and nod at that. His name was Iceman for a reason, but her smile stayed firmly planted on her face as she realized that cold front of his was changing. Maybe now that Ray and him were back home and planning on staying home, things would change. Her butterflies came back to life as she thought about how the next few months of her life would be changing.


End file.
